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I have the Anita and I do have somewhat mixed feelings about it. I think I just got frustrated in the beginning and was overwhelmed by learning how to use it - and there is a learning curve. I also made it harder on myself by buying a machine, a mediocre grinder (Rocky) and a small roaster (IRoast II) at the same time. Needing to learn how all three machines worked and how to get them to work together to make a good coffee got frustrating at times. I am just in the process of starting over again and working with the Anita a bit more, hoping I will master it better with more practice. I always envy a friend who gets better and more consistent shots with a Mazzer mini grinder and an unmodded Silvia than I get with my setup. If I had to do it again, I would buy a double boiler machine. Most of the frustration comes with dealing with the heat exchanger and getting the temperatures right (even with a little thermometer in the heat group). And I definitely would also get a better grinder. That's not in the budget right now, so I will have to work with what I have.

That said, I just watched the little video on the Alex duetto II at Chriscoffee.com and this has to be the most beautiful thing I ever saw. Well, at least when it comes to coffee machines. Total overkill for someone who makes maybe 3-4 shots a day, though. Just like owning a $500 kitchen knife is overkill

That said, I just watched the little video on the Alex duetto II at Chriscoffee.com and this has to be the most beautiful thing I ever saw. Well, at least when it comes to coffee machines. Total overkill for someone who makes maybe 3-4 shots a day, though. Just like owning a $500 kitchen knife is overkill

Based on what? This is completely false. Most high quality espresso machines are still made in Italy with pretty much the rest coming from the US.

Based on my previous experience owning an Alex Duetto II. Pretty much all the Italian machines are made with off the shelf parts made by ageing industry. The QC on the the parts itself is the annoying part. Maybe I got a lemon but it annoyed me so much with rattles, reliability - the pump is vertically on top of the motor (I had a motor failure too) and overshoot on the PID. With conservative settings on the PID, steam recovery was subI'm all up for honouring the history in Italian espresso, but in terms of quality I would think that only La Marzocco or Bosco are really that decent over there. The States on the other hand have some innovative stuff in Synesso and Slayer Espresso.

Except for the Brevilles, which come from chokobo's neck of the woods (Australia)!

Haha I have no horse in that race. I own a machine from the Netherlands =). But let Mr. CoffeeGeek from Canada tell you the same thing - http://twitter.com/FRSHGRND/status/245401004307251200. In reality, quality and reliability of all machines are unacceptable. Commercial machines fail just as much as domestic ones. It's just that you have a support network of technicians who can service the commercial machines quickly with their slew of generic parts.

..........That said, I just watched the little video on the Alex duetto II at Chriscoffee.com and this has to be the most beautiful thing I ever saw. Well, at least when it comes to coffee machines. Total overkill for someone who makes maybe 3-4 shots a day, though. Just like owning a $500 kitchen knife is overkill Stefan

Based on my previous experience owning an Alex Duetto II. Pretty much all the Italian machines are made with off the shelf parts made by ageing industry. The QC on the the parts itself is the annoying part. Maybe I got a lemon but it annoyed me so much with rattles, reliability - the pump is vertically on top of the motor (I had a motor failure too) and overshoot on the PID. With conservative settings on the PID, steam recovery was subI'm all up for honouring the history in Italian espresso, but in terms of quality I would think that only La Marzocco or Bosco are really that decent over there. The States on the other hand have some innovative stuff in Synesso and Slayer Espresso.

I have to disagree as well, Italy still is the king of espresso machines. While a few companies are making a dent, it's just that, a dent. My Viebemme Domobar Super is a tank, love the thing. Reality is, pick any major coffee shop and see what is behind the counter, 95% of the time it's an Italian made machine. With that said, I hope more competition from other countries pushes the prices down so I can try a double boiler at a reasonable price.

Ok, I think I just expected too much from my Italian machine. All relative, it just didn't meet my expectations.

Actually, if you look at most of the speciality coffee cafes in Melbourne or Sydney, they are mainly using 30% La Marzocco, 50% Synesso (5 Senses do an amazing job of marketing and distribution here) and 20% KvdW and Slayer machines. Rarely do you see another "Italian" machine other than the LaMar in these speciality cafes. Fair enough if you go to your local strip you may see more Wega's, Victoria Arduino's, La San Marco's or San Marino's, but they are more associated with places where coffee isn't the focus and generally serve Italian-style choc bombs with stale grinded coffee from full dosers. Can the other Italian machines make good coffee - absolutely, but the other brands mentioned above in the speciality cafes offer more control and consistency to the barista.